After having settled in to our new place and thrown a successful housewarming shindig (a big “thank you!” to our friends who stopped by!), The Boy and I decided we were ready for the NEXT next step in our relationship.

The BIG one.

That’s right, folks… we got a cat. A kitten, actually. (What, did you think I meant marriage and children? Bahahaha… that’s WAY too adult.)

We had been talking about wanting a cat since the early stages in our relationship.  Once we moved into our new place, painstaking preparations were made to accommodate our fuzzy acquisition: The Boy orders more things from Amazon than anyone I’ve ever met, and he likes to save the boxes until he’s absolutely sure that whatever hes ordered is going to work out. It being common knowledge that cats love boxes, we stockpiled the boxes that the litter box, food/water bowls, and other accessories we ordered to ensure we were well-prepared for every possible cat-related disaster.

Hoarders: Cardboard Box Edition.

The Boy had mentioned months ago that he thought it would be funny to name a cat ‘Hans Gruber’, after Alan Rickman’s villain character in Die Hard. I thought it was kind of comical (and I was excited that he also wanted a cat), so we decided on the name well before we actually got the cat. And so, after many months of anticipation, Hans Gruber came into our lives. We adopted this little guy from the Austin Humane Society early last week, and we couldn’t be happier.

“Hi! My name is ‘No, Hans Gruber’. Who are you?”

Helping Dad with some research.

Being adorable at his first visit to the vet.

Finally tuckered out.

It’s been less than a week, and the little guy has already figured out the lay of the land. He’s only two months old, so he frequently oscillates between ‘pouncing, murderous killbot’ and ‘purring, affectionate bundle of love’. It’s great that cats don’t understand things like the laws of gravity and inertia, because he would chase the toys we kick around the house for hours on end if we let him. At present, his other hobbies include chasing the laser pointer, walking all over the computer keyboard when someone is trying to work, attacking his own tail, and clawing things he’s not supposed to (and acting as though he’s never clawed at anything in his life when we immediately move him over to the cat scratcher we bought him).

Life has been pretty fun with the little guy around, and we can’t wait to watch him grow up and see what he’ll be like as an adult. (We’re desperately hoping he calms down at least a little bit… we’d read that kittens sleep something like 18-20 hours a day, but not this one.) I know that this is a total vomit-inducing cliché, but my life feels complete now. Just me, The Boy, and Hans Gruber: a happy, nutty little family.